I have a friend who is a fellow Mercedes nut. Had a W116 300SD he put over 300,000 miles on. Did 95% of the maintenance himself--Georgia Tech mechanical engineer.

He has now moved on to 560SELs and has two. Says he loves having all that power underfoot. When I asked about the poor mileage, he said even at 17 mpg on premium, his $5000 560SEL is still waaaaaaaaaaaay less expensive to own/operate than a new Corolla.

Sometimes I think people put too much emphasis on fuel eceonomy as part of the ENTIRE cost of owning and operating a car.